The Continuing Saga of Colin Kaepernick

Although Colin Kaepernick sat down for the National Anthem to create awareness for justice in today’s society over a year ago, he is still making headlines. Though, this time, he has other athletes publicly supporting him and what he stands for.

Notable names that are in favor of Kaepernick’s movement include Marshawn Lynch, Michael Bennett, Steph Curry, and even Chance The Rapper. This is the type of backing Kaepernick was looking for when he started his protests, but this past year hasn’t been smooth sailing for the currently unemployed quarterback.

Shortly after Kaepernick began kneeling during the National Anthem while he was playing for the San Francsico 49ers, he got immediate backlash. All throughout the country, people would talk down on Kaepernick, saying that what he did was wrong and “unAmerican.” During interviews, he told reporters that the reasoning behind his protest was to create awareness for social justice for the African Americans in this country.

At first, Kaepernick had very little support, and it seemed like his actions had more of negative affect than positive. Shortly after the controversy began, however, other athletes started supporting the quarterback on his decision, and even decided to kneel along with him during their games. Kaepernick even gained the support of his coach, Chip Kelly. “It’s his right as a citizen. It’s not my right to tell him not to do something,” Kelly stated after being asked about what he thought of the situation.

As the situation seemed to be getting worse by the day, the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, came out publically and supported Kaepernick’s decision. “I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don’t live in a perfect society. We live in an imperfect society,” Goodell addressed to the media. At the time, Kaepernick needed all the support he could get, but as time passed, he started to gain more and more support from fans, other athletes, and even celebrities.

On September 5, Barack Obama came out with a statement defending the quarterback. In his speech, Obama stated, “I don’t doubt his sincerity. I think he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about.”

Fast forward to this year and his protests are still a popular topic of discussion, but this time, the support is even greater. Numerous players have sat for the National Anthem this year, including Marshawn Lynch and Michael Bennet. In addition to that, other players have been questioning why Kaepernick doesn’t have a job. Players who have been seen supporting Kaepernick have claimed that they believe he should be a starting quarterback again, but because of his protests, he is not.

Although things have gotten better for the 29-year-old free agent, the drama of Colin Kaepernick seems like it won’t be ending any time soon. All eyes will be on him as we wait and see what happens next this NFL season.